


forbidden love

by orphan_account



Category: Tokyo Ghoul
Genre: F/M, i wrote this in middle school and reuploaded this here, this is... really old
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2016-03-06
Updated: 2016-05-25
Packaged: 2021-03-02 05:55:23
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 11
Words: 11,171
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23846332
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/orphan_account/pseuds/orphan_account
Summary: You, a new college student, are on your way to college when you befriend a boy named Kaneki. What may happen, only time will tell.
Relationships: Kaneki Ken | Sasaki Haise/Reader
Kudos: 2





	1. first encounters

**Author's Note:**

> WARNING: I have no knowledge on what happens at college or whatever, since I haven't even gotten to high school, me being in middle school. So, saying that, I apologize for any miss stuff. I also don't really use subways and trains so... Heh.

"Hurry up, stupid subway! I'm going to be late on the first day..." You mumble to yourself as time ticks by, taunting you with its fast-moving minutes. You knew that you shouldn't have stayed up late yesterday reading that book, but it was just too interesting to put down.

As the subway sped on by, you began to grow even more impatient, even starting to pace in a tiny circle, anticipation growing ever minute. Lost in your mind while thinking of excuses to say in cases you were late, you heard a tiny groan of pain. You stopped pacing to apologize, turning to face the stranger you had so rudely stepped on.

"Ah, sorry! I was busy thinking of something." You say, bowing. "It's, um, okay, you probably didn't mean to anyway..." He said quietly. You look up, wondering why he wasn't insulting you as the normal passengers on the train would. He was a man who had black hair and shy gray eyes, looking very timid as he sat there as you stared at him like a stalker.

He cleared his throat, saying "Um, could you stop staring at me please?" He said timidly. You mentally slapped yourself; he must think that you're going to stalk him now! 

"Ah, okay..." You say, clearing your throat awkwardly and sitting in the vacant seat next to him. Time passed by awkwardly, you're mind instantly forgetting all about being late for college. As soon as the name for your stop was announced, you instantly remembered.

"Crap, I forgot that I'm going to be late." You mutter under your breath. As soon as you heard the chime of the train doors opening you dash out, earning a couple oof's and grumbles from passengers you squeezed pass. Quickly you run up the steps and run towards the university, hoping that the first class didn't start yet.

Breathing heavily, you walk to a seat, tired from all the running and bumping in order to get here. To your dismay and stupidity, class didn't even start for another thirty minutes, meaning that all your rushing had been for nothing. "I wish I took that piece of toast before I left..." You mutter to yourself, clutching your softly growling stomach. You flop your head onto the table, watching all the other early students talking and playing around.

"Um, excuse me, but is this seat taken?" A person asks behind you. 

"Nah, you can sit there." You say, not even moving your head to look at the person, still bemoaning your stupidity of not eating breakfast first. A soft growl escapes your stomach, causing you to moan silently. 

"Um, here, have this; I'm never going to eat it anyway." The person beside you says, the smell of fresh bread wafering from behind you. Without having another thought, you whip your head around, grabbing the slice of bread and stuffing in inside your mouth before he could take it back. 

After several seconds of awkward chewing and finally swallowing it, you actually look at the person who so kindly gave you the food. "You again?" You question, as it was the same guy from earlier. 

"Yeah." He said scratching the back of his head awkwardly. You look at him puzzled, wondering if he had stalked you or something.

"What's your name?" You ask, still staring at him weirdly.

"K- Kaneki. Ken Kaneki. If you don't mind me asking, but what's yours?"

(First Name) (Last Name). Pleasure to meet you, Kaneki. And thanks for the bread." You say, raising your hand to shake hands. At first he didn't know what you were doing, leaving you hanging there for some awkward seconds. 

"You can shake my hand if you want, or whatever." You say, thinking that this guy must not have much social interaction, and even less than you, which was astonishing since you were like the queen of anti-socialness, always preferring to be in your room reading for hours. 

He mumbled a few words and a 'you're welcome', finally shaking your hand. As soon as you let go, the professor comes in, starting the first class of the year.

Before you had almost fallen asleep from the boring lecture, the ringing had signaled the end of that class, and everyone started to quickly pack up their things and head to the next class. Eager to get to the hopefully less boring next class, you quickly pack up and fish out your schedule. 

"I go here... Room 2A." You say out loud, quickly looking at your campus map on where to go. Kaneki looks over your shoulder and to your schedule, wondering what on earth you were doing.

"We have similar schedules, (First name)?" He asked. You nod your head after quickly comparing the two pieces of paper. 

"Hey, (First name), do you want to be friends? Seeing that we have basically the same schedule." Kaneki asks. 

"Sure! Do you want to hang out later sometime?" You ask, wanting to spend some time with your first friend from college.

"Well, I, um, have some plans for tonight, so..."

"It's okay," You say smiling, "We can do it later some other time."

"Alright."

"Anyway, I'll see you next class okay, Kaneki?"

"Okay.”


	2. disastrous date

A few weeks later you entered a little café called Anteiku with Kaneki, being welcome with a friendly greeting and the sweet aroma of coffee. Kaneki quickly looked about the café for his friend until he spotted a golden haired boy sitting by a window, staring out of it. He looked away from the window and waved to us, beckoning Kaneki to sit with him.

You followed Kaneki to the table and sat down beside him, surprising his friend. "Kaneki, who's this? Your new girlfriend?" He teased. Kaneki blushed, saying that you were just a friend. You giggle at his reaction. They must be good friends for him to treat Kaneki this openly friendly, You think to yourself. 

"Anyway, so who's this crush you have, huh, Kaneki?" He said, leaning closer to us. Kaneki blushed red, causing me to giggle once again.

"Is that her?" He said, motioning to a deep blue-haired waitress chatting to some other customers. "Miss!" He called to the waitress, making Kaneki stare at him with the expression 'Don't do it!'. You just sat there, enjoying the moment.

"Could I have a cappuccino? And while you're at it, what's your name?" 

"Hide!"

The waitress blushed a bit before saying shyly, "Kirishima Touka."

"So, Touka, are you seeing anyone?" Hide said, standing up abruptly.

"Stop that, you idiot!"

"She's cute." Hide said, grinning, after Touka ran away. You just rolled your eyes at Hide's actions.

"You want us to be kicked out? This is the only place that I can see her!" Kaneki said sitting back down into his seat. A ring from the entrance signaled entry, and a woman with deep purple hair and red trimmed glasses came by, Kaneki watching her with dreamy look in his eyes.

"Kaneki, don't even go there. It'll be like the Beauty and the whatever." Hide said, nodding his head. Kaneki retorted saying 'Beast!' to correct him. "Anyway, I gotta go now, Kaneki." Hide said, leaving some yen to pay for his drink and went for the door. "Keep your head in the clouds!" He called back, leaving with a ring from the bell at the door. 

Kaneki blushed, making you want to squish his cheeks out of cuteness. You started to think that it's time that you should get going while watching Kaneki steal glances at the woman. "Anyway Kaneki, I got to go; I need to get started on some work." You say, scooting your chair back and thanking him for bringing you here, though he seemed to take no mind. He's totally engrossed in her... Lucky girl. You think as you head out the door.

"Goodbye, (First Name)!"

You smile as you walk down the street, enjoying the beautiful falling leaves of autumn on this beautiful Friday afternoon.  
\-----  
You roll around in your bed, bored as can be. You finished your work, started your project a little, and even studied for the quiz you had tomorrow; it was rare of you to study for anything, since you got too distracted within the first ten minutes of attempting to study and ended up not studying at all. 

You had done all that, yet it was only 9:30. Maybe I'll call Kaneki to see what he's up to. You thought to yourself, rolling around even more. Grabbing your phone off the nightstand, you quickly unlocked it and dialed Kaneki's number. Ring... Ring... Ring...

"Hello? Who is this?"

"Kaneki! It's me, (First Name)! Don't you remember giving your number?"

"Ah, yes! I must have forgotten. Anyway, why are you calling, (First Name)?"

"I dunno. I was just bored I guess," You say, sighing, "Anyway, how did it go with the purple-haired woman?"

"Her name is Rize Kamishiro, and we're going out to a bookstore on Sunday." He said, excitement in his voice.

"That's great. She must love books then."

"She does! We even like the same author, Sen Takasuki! Who knew?"

"That sounds nice." You say, silently wishing that you could go to the bookstore with Kaneki instead... "It's only because we both love books!" You say quietly, trying to reassure yourself that you had no feelings for him. But did you?

"Ah, it's getting late, (First Name). I'll talk to you tomorrow, and okay?"

You say an 'okay' and hang up, thinking about Kaneki and his date. "I hope it goes well, Kaneki." You say quietly to yourself, turning off the light and going to sleep.

~Later that week~

You were reading a book in your apartment, enjoying the blissful silence when your phone started buzzing beside you. Glancing over, you wondered who could be calling you at a time like this; it was Hide. Contemplating on whether answering it or just continue reading, you quickly decided to answer.

"Hide? What's up?"

"(First Name), it's Kaneki. He's in the hospital." He said, his voice full of worry. Your eyes widen, wondering what had happened to Kaneki.

"Why is he in the hospital?"

"They say he got into a ghoul accident..."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Muahahahaha!! I had orginally planned to have more, though it went a bit longer than I expected. And so, I cut it! Hahaha. You're welcome.


	3. guarded silence

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> 'Ello everybody! You're welcome for that last weird cliffhanger. I'm terrible at cliffhangers, btw. Anyway, here it is!

"Hide, are you at the hospital? I'll meet you there!" You say, hanging up without giving Hide a chance to reply. You grab your keys and a jacket and run out the door, locking it and running down the hallway that led outside. Hailing a nearby taxi, you give the location and quickly pay the driver, waiting in anticipation.

You arrive there and quickly ask to which room he was in at the reception. "I'm sorry miss, but he hasn't gotten out of surgery yet." She replied monotonous. You nod your head slowly, disappointment and more worry clouding your mind.

"(First Name)?"

You turn around, worry covering your face as you saw Hide standing there. Hide sat down quietly beside you, waiting in anticipation until you could visit him. You both waited and waited, time passing by ever so slowly, making just a simple minute feel like hours.

Finally, after what seemed like forever, the receptionist told you that Kaneki had just finished his surgery and that you could visit him. You looked across the metal printed signs, looking for Kaneki's room.

"1B, 3b, 5B, 7B!" you whisper loudly, trying to not to awaken the other patients. Taking in a deep breath, you opened the door, being greeted by a stronger smell of medicine. Your heart threatened to break at the sight of him lying there.

There were several doctors surrounding him, taking notes and quietly chatting with each other. One of the doctors turned around and saw you and Hide, walking over to you. "Are you this man's friends?" he asked through his surgical mask. We both nodded, and he let us go over to him. 

The small beep of the heart monitor sounded from beside you as you looked at Kaneki. He looks so peaceful when he's asleep, you think to yourself as you caress his black hair. 

"Miss and Mister, he's still recovering from the surgery, so he won't be awake for a while; would you like to be notified for when he awakes?" the doctor asks.

You both nod your heads and thank the doctors for letting you both in, leaving the doctors to their work as you close the door silently. You and Hide walk down the hallway in silence until you reach the exit, standing by the glass doors.

"Hey, Hide, Kaneki will be okay right?" you ask, tears you held in threatened to spill now.

"I'm sure Kaneki's going to be okay. I mean, it's is Kaneki we're talking about; he won't give up that easily on us," he said, trying to reassure you, as well as himself. After a moment's silence you both departed, waiting for when Kaneki would awaken.  
\----

Three weeks had pasted since you last saw Kaneki. At first, when you heard that he was awake, you dropped what you were doing, thanking the Lord that it was a Saturday, and instantly went to visit him.

At first you were overjoyed that he woke up, but then he practically ignored you, his bed sheet hiding him. You tried to get him to talk, but to no avail. Finally, you left, obviously not wanted there. A few days after you visited Kaneki Hide asked you to visit Kaneki with him, but you declined, seeing that Kaneki obviously didn't want to see you. 

And now here you are, attempting to read a book while lying on your bed. Your mind keep drifting back to Kaneki, wondering why he didn't want to see you and why there was strange ache in your heart. "No! I do not have feelings for Kaneki! He's just a friend and I'm just worried that's all." You say to yourself.

Suddenly you hear a beep from your nightstand; looking over and grabbing your phone, you unlock it to see who texted you. It was Hide, telling you that Kaneki was getting discharged in a couple days. You had a brief moment of bouncing on your bed and smiling before you replied back, telling him the idea of getting Kaneki a welcome back present.

He replied saying yes, you both quickly deciding on what you each wanted to get for Kaneki's present. 

After gathering all that you wanted to buy you dropped it off at Hide's place, seeing that you didn't know where Kaneki lived and you were too busy to drop it off even if you did know where he did live. As you turned to leave, Hide's door opened and he handed you a piece of paper with writing on it.

"(First Name)! Here's Kaneki's apartment place! Visit him when you can, okay?" Hide said as he gave you the paper. You blush a little, nodding your head before thanking him for the apartment location. Hide smiled at you warmly before closing his door behind him.

You walked down the streets of Tokyo, making plans for when you could visit Kaneki as you headed home. It was a getting a little chilly when you noticed the little café you visited when you first hung out with Kaneki. Deciding to have a small cup of coffee before you went on your way, you walked towards it and went in. 

Being greeted with a friendly welcome and the warm aura of the shop, you quickly sit down at a table. "Miss, what would you like for today?" A waitress asks as you look through the menu. 

"I'll have one mocha, please," you say as the waitress writes your order down.

"Yours will be out in a minute, miss." You hand her the small menu, and almost instantly your mind drifts back to Kaneki.

"Get out of my mind, Kaneki! I need to not constantly worry about you. I need to focus on coffee!" You say out loud, clapping your hands on your face.

"Having some trouble there, Miss?" The waitress asks as she places your mocha on the table. You turn to her.

"Ah, um, I'm o- Touka?" You say, recognizing the girl as the one Hide embarrassed when you last went here.

"Yep."

"I apologize for what Hide did a couple weeks ago! He was just messing around with Kaneki..." You say, recalling what Hide did to the poor waitress.

You stare in confusion as she laughs a little. "No harm done, Miss." She says, smiling at you.

"My name's (First Name) (Last Name), by the way." you say, surprising her a bit. "Would you like to be friends? I know this is the second time I've talked to you, but you seem really nice." She only nods her head in agreement.

"(First Name), I have to go back to work, I'll see you next time?" She says before leaving to go back to serving other customers. After having only silence to yourself, you decided to drink the coffee on your way home, noticing the time on the clock.

"Goodbye, (First Name)! See you next time!" Touka said, waving goodbye from the counter. You wave back, and start your walk home, thinking about some plans for the weekend.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Personally, I suck at romances. Sorry if most it seems too long and boring cause it has no action, as i'm trying to match the anime plotline as close as possible. I'm also trying to add the feelings not too fast, since it might seem weird, I guess?


	4. secrets revealed

You lift your hand to knock on the door, just inches away. Maybe I shouldn't.. No! Come on, (First Name)! You can do a simple action like knocking! You tighten your fist and close your eyes, tapping the door with a quiet knock.

He must not be home. This was stupid. I should leave. You think before even waiting for answer. You start to walk away when you hear the door open, freezing you in your tracks. 

"(First Name)? What are you doing here?" Kaneki asks. You start stuttering, desperately trying to think of an answer that sounded plausible. 

"Nevermind, (First Name). Come in." He says, dissappearing into his home. You follow, trying to mask the blush rising in your face. As you enter, you survey his home with widen eyes. There were books practically everywhere! It wasn't that he was messy or anything, it's just he had so many books. "Wow... You read a lot, don't you Kaneki?" You breathe out, awestruck. 

"I guess." He says blushing slightly while scratching the back of his head, "Ah, Sorry for the clutter! I didn't expect you to coming over. Not that I dislike you, of course!" He blushes even harder.

You giggle at his reaction. He's such a nice person... You think to yourself as you sit down on the couch. "I'll be back in a moment, (First Name)." He says, disappearing behind a door which you assumed led into his   
bedroom. 

~Kaneki's Pov~ (Sorry... Couldn't resist...)

I slide down the door, breathing heavily. My stomach growls, yearning to be filled. No! If I did that, I wouldn't be human.. I think to myself, groaning in hunger. "Dang it, (First Name). Why must you come over now? I don't want to hurt you.." I say to myself quietly. I don't think I could hold out much longer... You smell so good, (First Name)... No!! I'm human! I'm not a ghoul..

"But why not, Kaneki? Just accept it. A ghoul's hunger can only be satisfied through human flesh." Said a certain purple-haired woman. 

"Rize? I-I'm not a ghoul.. I'm human!" I say, refusing to believe that I'm... A monster. 

"I don't think she would mind, Kaneki. And she smells very good too..." Rize said as she approached me, making my hunger seem even worse than before. She laid a hand on my stomach, causing it to growl louder. "Your stomach's getting impatient, Kaneki. It has to be sooner or later..."

No! I can hold out for a little longer.. For (First Name's) sake.. I think to myself. Ignoring the more frequent growls and Rize's words, I take a deep breathe and open the door, using all my will power to not give in, for (First Name's) sake..

~Your Pov~

Kaneki comes back again, though he seemed more.. Tired? "Are you okay, Kaneki? You seem a bit tired." You ask, starting to worry about his health. He did just get discharged a couple days ago.

"I'm good, (First Name)." He says smiling, though it seems a little forced. 

"So, what were you doing in your bedroom? And why are you wearing an eyepatch?" You ask, curiosity growing within you. He briefly freezes in his tracks before answering you, which you don't believe and deduct as even more odd. What is he hiding... You think to yourself as you stand up and approach him.

He seems to tense up, but he tries to hide it. "(First Name), what are you doing?" He asks nervously, breathing heavier. You hug him. He completely freezes up, worrying that you were too close to him. "Kaneki, if there's anything wrong, you can tell me." You say quietly, burying your face into his shirt. 

You can tell he blushes deep red even though you can't see him. "Okay.." He replies, sounding relieved, but also... desperate? He looks down at you, slight crazed look in his eyes; you didn't notice it, as you were too busy burying your face in his clothing. "Did you know that you smell very good, (First Name)?" He says.

"I-I guess..." you say, surprised at his comment and realizing the closeness between you two. He licks your neck, sending shivers down your spine. 

"You taste good too, (First Name). You wouldn't mind if I.. Took a little bite, right?" He says, making you look up at him. You now notice his slight crazed glaze.

"K-Kaneki??" You say as you feel something warm trickle down your shoulder. "Kaneki!!! Stop.. Please.." You plead, feeling the pain worsen as he bit deeper. He stops and looks at you in horror, his eyes widening at the sight of your bleeding shoulder.

"(First Name)! D-Did I..." He trails off, realizing what he had done. He hastily disentangles your arms that were still around him and runs into his room, closing the door with a loud bang. You stand there, completely awestruck. 

Kaneki's a.. Ghoul?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Well. This is weird. Sorry about that. Anyway, did you like the perfect fluff moment before I made everything worse? Yea.. Sorry. Been planning this since I even came up with the the book idea.


	5. silent confessions

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Well. All my hype for that last chapter is gone right now... So.. I might be lazier on this one. Sorry 'bout that. Anyway, enjoy the chapter.

He's a ghoul? You think to yourself with mixed feelings as you attempt to bandage the bite. How could someone so kind be a ghoul? Ghouls are monsters; they eat humans for food. Was he just trying to get you to befriend him so that he could eat you later on? These thoughts swarmed your mind as you hissed at the tiny burning sensation the cleaning-alcohol soaked cotton-ball leaves on the wound.

After bandaging as best as you could, you went up to his bedroom door. He was your friend, even if he was a ghoul, though the thought made you feel a little uneasy. 

"Kaneki? Can I come in? I want to talk with you..." You say softly as you lean your ear to the door. You didn't hear a reply. Bracing yourself for what terrors could lurk behind the door, you turn the knob with shaky hands. What you saw was what you didn't expect.

What you assumed was Kaneki was sitting in the darkest corner of the room, hugging his knees and ever so slightly rocking back in forth. You wanted to console him so badly, even though he did just bit your shoulder a few minutes ago. But that didn't matter now. Kaneki was blaming himself for something that wasn't his fault, and you had to tell him so.

You approach Kaneki slowly, not wanting to frighten him. He sniffed at the air and briefly glanced at you before turning around to face the wall. "(First Name), stay back.. I'm a monster; I don't want to hurt you again..." He says with deep sadness, desperately clinging to his humanity more than ever before to keep you safe. You were slightly hurt at his words, but continued to press forward.

"Kaneki.. You would never hurt me on purpose. I know that you wouldn't." You say, burying your face into his jacket again while hugging him. He freezes up, panicking that you were too close. 

"(F-First Name)! Get away! You're too close..." He says, a tone of slight hunger and concern, as well as fear, in his voice. You stood your ground, not moving. "(First Name)! Please, go away from me..." He says, his voice cracking as you feel wet tear drops on your hands. 

You slowly turn him around, finding him crying mess. He's surprised at your expression; he expected one of fear and mixed feelings. Instead, he finds a warm, loving, but yet slightly sad expression in (First Name's) eyes. "(First Name).. Why aren't you scared? I'm a ghoul; I eat people for food." He asks, puzzled. You simply move you hand to touch his eyepatch, taking it off. His eyes widen, one gray and one red. 

He turns away in shame, only to have you cup his face and turn him back to you. "I don't care if your a ghoul, Kaneki. You're my friend, I will always love you, no matter human or ghoul." You say, wiping away a tear from his ghoul eye. "I wish you could've told me eariler, though. It's not very nice being ignored by a close friend when they were so worried about you." You say, pouting a little. Kaneki looks up and smiles, laughing a little.

"Sorry about that, (First Name). I didn't want you to see me like this." He says, still smiling. Suddenly his stomach growls, interrupting the blissful moment. He clutches his stomach, moaning a little. You look over at him worriedly. He needs food... But what can I give him? You think, stray ideas coming and go. Suddenly one pops in your head that sounds decent. It may not be a good idea, but an idea nonetheless. 

"Hey Kaneki, ghouls need to eat human flesh to live right?" You ask rather a bit shyly. He nods his head, curious on what you were planning. "Well, since you seem really hungry, and ghouls need to eat flesh to live, why don't you eat me..." You say, blushing a bit. His eyes widen in shock.

"(First Name)! I could never do that! I wouldn't ever like to see you hurt!" He exclaims, surprising you at his outbreak. 

"Not eat me whole, you dummy. Just, you know, a tiny bite." You say, pulling down your shirt a little to show your shoulder more openly. His eyes widen a bit, gazing at the tender flesh. He then notices your bandages and looks down, hiding his eyes. You look at him and sigh. Sometimes he's really stubborn when he doesn't need to be. Unraveling the bandages, you grit your teeth as to not upset Kaneki. A little pain is nothing compared to what's next.

"Kaneki." He looks up, and stares at you in realization. You were really going through this plan. He starts stuttering, making up excuses on why he shouldn't bite you. Acting quickly before you had second thoughts, you grabbed Kaneki's head and pressed it gently against your collarbone, surprising him. 

"Mmmph!" He manages to mumble out as you keep gently pressing his head to your collarbone. He was trying to resist the temptation to bite you, though it was getting harder with each passing second, your smell encouraging his stomach to growl more. 

"Kaneki..." You say, caressing his hair with your other hand while attempt to soothe him, "You can bite me. I don't mind, I'll heal back eventually... I'll take the responsibility; it was my idea after all. I won't hold anything against you. Promise." You wrap your arms around him, enveloping him with your warmth.

Your concern for Kaneki rather than for yourself shocked him. Thinking he would desperately regret this later on, but at least he had your approval, he opened his mouth and bit down. You tried to keep a facade of indifference to mask your inward pain and discomfort. It was worse than before, but you kept silent, for Kaneki's sake. Your eyes start to droop, as the corners of your sight began to fade to black. 

Kaneki... I love you. you thought before slipping into unconsciousness.


	6. awakenings

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Almost at 100 reads... Ehhhh reach it already, book! Anyway, the next chapters should start following the anime plot line so woo! Sorry to bore you guys with non-plot line stuff. Enjoy!

You wake up, finding yourself in a bed and your neck hurting a little. Where am I? You thought as you looked around; this did not look like your bedroom. You move your arm unconsciously to the nightstand to pick up your phone, pain flaring up in your shoulder. "Ah." you hiss, retracting your arm immediately and looking at it. It was covered with bandages, dried blood forming a medium-sized blot on the white. This reminded you what had happened.

"Kaneki bit me.. And he's a ghoul too... "You say out loud, remembering the pain you felt before blacking out. Slowly you get out of his bed, careful as to not move the bandaged shoulder. You're greeted with a sudden coldness, your body so used to the heat from the bed. You shiver a little, shuffling around to find something warm to wear. You wander around his room until you happen upon his closet, gazing at his simple clothing.

You grab the closest shirt and jacket, taking your own thin shirt off and putting on his own, followed by putting on his jacket. You instantly pick up his scent. It warms your body somehow, and you wander put his bedroom, wondering where he was. You look to the coffee table and walk towards it, finding a note adressed to you.

Dear (First Name), 

Sorry I'm not there right now, I had some things to do. It's been a couple days since I, uh, bit you. I cooked some food for you incase you were hungry when you woke up. I left it in the refrigerator; I won't be need it anymore, anyway. I'll be back sometime later in the afternoon, hope to see you soon!

Kaneki

You smile as you finished reading the note, now noticing your stomach growling a little. He's so kind. You think to yourself as you search his fridge for the plate of food. You spot it, quickly taking it out and taking the plastic wrapping off. It was a simple dish really; just some rice and a couple pieces of meat. It warmed your heart though, the thought of Kaneki cooking something just for you, even if it wasn't particularly good cooking. 

You open the microwave, pushing in the buttons to heat it up for two minutes. When you hear the familiar chime, you wandering his apartment once again, trying to pass the time. You go up to one of his many bookshelves in his apartment, skimming over the titles. 

Suddenly one catches your eye. You pull it out, inspecting the cover; it was a simple whitish-yellow color, with a few splattered streaks of paint as the cover. That wasn't what intrigued you, however. It was the title.

The Black Goat's Egg, huh. You thought to yourself as you put it down on the coffee table and removed the now steaming plate from the microwave. Opening a cupboard and filling up a glass with water, you walk back to the couch, picking up the plate and placing it on a pillow that was on your lap. Picking the book as well, you began reading as you ate.

You were so engrossed in the book that you sometimes forgot you were eating, only the growl of your stomach reminding you now and then. You finished your food quickly, eager to get back to reading. Who knew that such a simple cover held such a story? You thought to yourself, mesmerized by each page.

Time flew by quickly, and before you knew it, there was a knock at the door. That startled you, your mind being so focused on reading the beautiful book. Laying the book upside down on the couch you stood up and went to the door, peeking through the eye hole. It was Kaneki, standing there wearing an adorable fluffy coat looking timid, a tiny blush on his cheeks that you failed to notice. You quickly open the door, a gust of cold wind blowing past you.

"Hey Kaneki! Welcome home!" You say, beaming brightly at him. He looks at you, his blush growing bigger. "H-Hi, (First Name)." he says shyly, coming inside. He takes off his fluffy coat, hanging it on the coat hanger stand. 

"Hey Kaneki, how did you know I was awake?" You ask, following him into the living room. He scratches his head for a bit, blushing.

"I just had a feeling that you were." he said looking down, blushing harder.

"And what if I didn't?" you ask, watching him blush harder. He simply shrugged, much to your dissapointment. He was still blushing extremely hard, however. Smiling, you walk back to the couch, picking up the book you had left there and started reading.


	7. fighting for your friends

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Starting following the plot line now!! Enjoy!

You followed Kaneki as you two neared campus, having planned to finally go back to college after you missed a week, Kaneki missing several. You two were walking down a path when you heard a strange noise. "Kaneki? Do you hear that?" You ask before seeing Hide pop out of nowhere, Jumping onto a surprised Kaneki and hugging him.

"Kaneki! Where have you two been? How long are you going to avoid school? I've been so bored since you're not here!" Hide said, bombarding him with questions. Kaneki apologized, lifting his hands up in surrender. You simply mentally laugh at Hide's actions, thinking that they are really good friends.

"(First Name)! I missed you! Are you feeling better?" Hide asks, turning to you and hugging you tightly. 

"Can't... Breathe..." You manage to wheeze out, turning almost blue from lack of oxygen. Hide instantly let you go, apologizing while still having a grin on his face. He turns to Kaneki, and starts to ramble off about how bored he was when Kaneki wasn't there, while Kaneki himself seemed to be in deep thought, even a bit sad.

"Oi! Kaneki! Earth to Kaneki!" Hide said, pouting a little. 

"Hm?" Kaneki says, snapping out of his trance. Hide frowns a little, but quickly covering it with his usual smile. 

"Never-mind. Anyway, I gotta go meet an arrogant upperclassmen of mine who can lend me some class material. Do you guys wanna come?"

Kaneki was still in deep thought, so you answer for him. "Sure. I guess we can come with." You say, elbowing Kaneki lightly in his side to get his attention.

He snapped his head up, stammering,"S-Sure, Hide!", a bewildered expression on his face. You quietly giggle at Kaneki, earning a blush from him. 

"Hey Kaneki. Are you feeling alright? You look a bit pale." Hide asks, his tone serious. Kaneki assures him that he is, but Hide doesn't believe him. "Make sure you eat right, Kaneki."

The rest of the walk was quiet as we approached the upperclassmen's door. Hide opened the door without hesitation, Kaneki warning him about knocking before a girl ran out, screaming. 

"You could've knock, Nagachika."

"Sorry, Nishio."

"You know, it always makes me a little angry when others violated territory." Nishio said, turning around. Both Kaneki and Nishio's eyes widened at the sight of the other, making you wonder what had happened between the two. Hide seemed oblivious to all this, however.

"So this is the Kaneki, the good friend that I've been telling you about." Hide said as Nishio stood up from his chair and walked up to Kaneki.

"I see. I'm Nishio Nishiki, a year two in the School of Pharmacy." Nishiki said, walking around Kaneki as if he was inspecting him.

"So where's the cd from last year's festival?" 

"It should be somewhere in here..." Nishiki said, rummaging through some things. He suddenly smacked his palm against his forehead, saying that he had left it at home. "Do you want to come with me to get it? My apartment's only a couple blocks away." 

Hide agreed to it when suddenly Kaneki asked to come along, making your suspicions grow. I'll come along to see what happens. You thought as you tagged along through the streets. Nishiki turns a corner and walks beside the entrance to a dark alley, turning around quickly and kicking both you and Hide into it. You hear the eventual smack as you both hit the back wall, you sliding down it's cold metal surface while Hide bounces off.

Every bone in your body hurts as you watch through blurry vision with ringing ears. What looked like Hide was laying on the ground, unconscious, as what you assumed was Kaneki being beat up by Nishiki. You momentarily close your eyes, the next scene being Hide's face being bloody by Nishiki's boot, Kaneki nowhere to be seen.

Nishiki then turns to you, a creepy smile on his face as he approached you. He probably said something mean, but you couldn't hear anything due to the slight ringing that cut out any other noise. Nishiki put his other shoe on the side of your face, pushing down harder each time. You felt the warm liquid ooze down, but didn't pay much attention to it as you closed your eyes again. 

You open those eyes again, your vision clearer and the ringing had stopped. You didn't stand up in case Nishiki would come back. You looked around for Nishiki, as well as Kaneki. Where had they gone? You saw Kaneki approach you, which filled you with relief. However, what he was saying quickly took it away replaced it with fear. He was a few feet away from you with a hungry look in his eyes, his kagugan showing now that his eye patch came off.

"Kaneki..." You whisper, desperate to stop him. It fell upon deaf ears. "Kaneki..." You tried again as he was slowly inching towards you, a slightly crazed look on his face. You squeeze your eyes shut waiting for the pain, when there was none. You peek your eyes open just a bit, wondering if you had died. In front of you stood a girl, protecting you, as she talked to a hungry and maybe even slightly mad Kaneki. 

You could hear her alright, but her words seemed to blur into each other. Suddenly you see a flaming wing sprout out of her shoulder, her body aligning into a battle position. Kaneki's own Kagune comes out, three deadly red tentacles coming out. You close your eyes for the fourth time, falling into the realm of sleep.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Well. Terrible chapter, I know. Ah well, it took me forever to write it.


	8. his strange behavior

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I dont feel like writing... Wah. Anyway, I'ma just do this on my slowly decaying knowledge of the plotline instead of keeping to watch the episodes to get the plotline correct. I have wiki for a reason. Enjoy!

Half-dream...

You find yourself standing in a corner of a room, a figure sleeping peacefully on a bed. You walk over and lift up the bed sheet, finding that it was your face sleeping there. "What the-" you say before hearing footsteps approach the room, darting into the nearest corner and squishing yourself as far back as you could. Kaneki and an older gentleman came by and stood at the door, staring at your other self lying on the bed. "Kaneki?" You ask, walking towards him. 

It seemed like he didn't notice your presence. "Yo Kaneki! I'm over here." You say a bit worriedly, waving your hand in front of him. Still no response. Kaneki seemed to be talking to the other guy, but you couldn't hear anything, only seeing their lips moving. He turned to the older gentleman, exchanged some words, and started to cry. You hugged him, even though this was a dream and he wouldn't be able to feel it. 

Surprisingly, he slowly stopped crying and wiped the tears away, listening to gentleman's not audible words. You let go, watching them walk down the hallway into darkness. You felt like you had lost something important as the scene faded to black.

Reality...

You wake up, instantly rolling over to the other side. A blinding light greeted your eyes, making you squeezing your eyes shut. As your eyes slowly adjusted to the sudden brightness, you looked around the room, having a strange familiar feeling. Have I been here before? That can't be... You question yourself as you lift the sheets and get out of bed. The cold wooden floor tingles your feet and as you wander out the door, successfully bumping into someone.

"S-sorry! I didn't see you there." You apologize, looking up at the person. Your eyes widen, hugging him. "Kaneki! I'm glad you're okay." You say, releasing the hug. He mutters something, but you didn't pay attention as you were just happy he was alive. "Say, Kaneki; what happened? It's all kind of a blur." You ask.  
Kaneki gives you a questionable answer, but you accept it, thinking that he probably didn't want to talk about it. 

You walk down the stairs, finding Hide talking with Touka. "Hey Hide!" You say, waving to him as you go to the other side of the counter. Kaneki shortly comes in, looking a bit surprised. "Thanks Touka for saving us back there! If you hadn't helped us out of that mess we probably would've died." Hide says, Kaneki looking a bit confused. "Mess?" He says before he widened his eyes and kept quiet.

"He must've hit his head a bit too hard. You remember what happened, right Kaneki?" Touka said, smiling. It seemed forced, though. Kaneki simply nodded. As you and Hide left Anteiku, you passed by a woman and her daughter huddled close to each other. As you walked with Hide he seemed to deep in thought, which didn't look like him at all. 

"Hey Hide, are you okay?" You ask, nudging him a bit. 

"Do you feel like he's hiding something?"he says, not turning his eyes from the road. That surprises you, making you think back on Kaneki's latest actions.

"I guess... Why?"

"Nothing much. Just a feeling." He says, making the both of you think about Kaneki as you make your way home, going separate ways as you pass by the university. 

Meanwhile...

~Kaneki's pov~

"Kaneki." Touka says, turning to me. "If they know who you are.. I'll kill them, alright?" She says, coldness in her tone as she stared at me. I felt like she was staring into my soul as I summoned up as much courage I could.

"I-I didn't tell them. Okay?" I lied, (First Name)'s smiling face popping into my mind.

"Good then." She says as the door bell jingle, both of us greeting whoever came through. "Ryouko!" Touka says, running over to her. I stood there, not knowing what to do. "Don't just stand there, get some warm towels!" Touka barked at me. I rushed to get the towels before I had to suffer anymore death glares. I came back holding out a stack for the mother. 

She thanked me and placed one on her daughter's head, who was huddled close to her mom. "Say hello to the nice man." Her mother urged, and I smiled at her. She only responded by burying her head closer to her mom, making me feel just a bit unappreciated. Touka ushered them upstairs, leaving me alone to awkwardly stand around. 

I contemplated on whether to leave when Touka came back, looking a bit angry. "Kaneki. You can leave now if you want." She said rather coldly, as if expecting me to leave right away. I did, after thanking them for their help.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Okay guys. I'ma have to seriously cut away from the plot in order to make the reader be at least tiny bit active in the story. So be prepared for horribly written fluff, action scenes, and sad and other feelings explosions. See ya next time!


	9. fixing relationships

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Welp. This is gonna go down hill real fast. I'ma skip probably.. Everything mostly in plot cause author too lazy to rewatch episodes anymore. Meh. Enjoy!

You felt angry with yourself. Well, it was mostly with Kaneki, but still. You tried to get him to return to Kamii, but he refused everytime. Next, you tried texting and calling him and even visiting his home to talk to him. He ignored all your texts, never called back, and always seemed to not be home. You tried at Antieku, partially going there to meet up with Touka, and partially to see if Kaneki could at least acknowledge your presence. 

Alas, he was always off somewhere and never in when you were. Sometimes when he wasn't busy, he was approached by a purple haired guy, whom you disliked at the first sight of him. Kaneki ignored the guy, continueing to work a bit harder until the guy left. You always ordered one coffee every time you tried speaking to Kaneki, sipping it slowly in isolation. It was bugging you. Why did he distance himself from all his human friends? We share this world together too.

You also found yourself closely watching him interact with the ghouls more, as if he was leaving every piece of humanity in his life behind. You felt sad, angry, and confused as you lay on your bed, too restless to go to sleep, even though it was twelve o'clock in the morning. Eventually, after what felt like hours of tossing and turning, you succumb to your body's plea and close your eyes, entering a dreamless sleep.

You open your eyes again, finding sunlight streaming through the closed blinds. Grabbing a pillow you throw at the window, snuggling deeper into the blankets. You wanted to just stay in bed and not attempt to see Kaneki knowing that he'll ignore you. You also were lazy this particular morning, preferring the warmth of the fuzzy blankets compared to the coldness outside the little pocket of heat you currently inhabited at the moment.

And so, you lay there, hugging a (Favorite Book/Tv series)-themed body pillow; but it did not last long. You soon grew restless and then looked at the clock, finding that only two minutes had passed. Finally, you begrudgingly pulled you body away from the comfortable heat and into the cold, crisp air of your apartment. You quickly got clean and dressed, preparing a quick breakfast as you watched the TV for a bit to pass the time. After you were finished eating, you brushed your teeth before grabbing your favorite fluffy coat before walking out the door. 

You wandered around Tokyo, visiting interesting-looking shops and the occasional bookstore that you passed by. Soon lunch time had come, and you bought a sandwich from a nearby grocery store, eating it as you stared into the windows of stores, but not buying anything.

Before you knew it, you found yourself in front of Anteiku, debating on whether going in. You missed the smell of brewing coffee and the friendly atmosphere even though it was three days ago since you last went there. You went in, deciding to buy a coffee and then quickly leave.

The usual friendly welcome greeted you as you came in, the smell of coffee making you sigh in happiness and your mouth water a bit. You quickly sit down at an open table, Touka instantly coming over to take your order. You make some small talk with her, ordering a (Favorite coffee). Your eyes unwillingly wander around the room, looking for Kaneki. As you thought, he wasn't there. You sigh in defeat, pulling out (Favorite book) and beginning to read. 

Shortly after your coffee arrives, you thank whoever gave you your coffee and put down the book, staring at the steaming brown liquid. Suddenly a door creaks open, your eyes instantly darting up and looking around the room. To your surprise, it was Kaneki, wearing the Anteiku uniform and his eyepatch over his left eye. He seemed to look around the room, not noticing you as he began to brew some coffee with great concentration. You stood up and took the chance; this could be the only time you could actually talk to him for a while.

You walked over to the counter and plopped yourself on a stool, poking his shirt tentatively. He jumped a little, almost spilling the coffee he was attempting to brew. "Ah, Sorry! (F-First Name)?" He says, his eyes widening in surprise. "H-how- when did you get here?"

"Obviously though the front door today. Why have you been ignoring me and Hide?" You ask, leaning closer to him. He stutters, attempting to come up with an answer. "Never mind. I don't need to know why you're ignoring you friends all of a sudden for long periods of time,"You say a bit sarcastically, turning away to go back to your table. He suddenly grabs your hand, causing you to look back at him. (So cliché.. *cringes* WHYYYYY Random person: Cause you need da words. Author: -_-)

"What is it." you ask, turning around to face him. His face blushing profusely as he lets go of your hand. "Sorry I've been ignoring you guys lately. Anteiku's been taking up most of my time." he apologizes, looking down. 

"It's okay." you say, ruffling his hair, "Just tell us when you can. A simple text or call would do. We're worried for you!" 

"Y-you were?" 

"Of course, silly!" you say, smiling at him. As he smiled back, the 'employee only' door sprang open, a shorter brown haired girl coming out and instantly walking over to him. "Big brother! Do you know what this word is?" she asks, opening a book and pointing to a section in it. 

"Ah, um, where is it?" he says, surprised at her appearance while glancing over at you. She looks up, staring at you for a second before smiling brightly.

"Are you Big brother's girlfriend?" she asks innocently, causing Kaneki to blushing profusely. 

"N-no! S-she's just a friend!" he says, still blushing deep red. You laugh as you attempted to stop your checks from heating up, agreeing with him. 

She seems to inspect you before saying, "Oh, okay," seeming a bit disappointed at this. "My name's Hinami, and Big brother helps me with words I don't know. We also both like the same author, too!" she says, smiling once again.

"I'm (First Name); nice to meet you, Hinami." you say, smiling at her cheerfulness. You then turn to Kaneki. "I didn't know that you were a tutor." you say, chuckling a little. 

"It's just a few words that she doesn't know..."

"Still; it's tutoring. Good luck on that, Kaneki!" You say, looking at your watch, "Oh! I have to go now before it gets dark. " You pay for the coffee and get up from the stool. "Bye Hinami, Kaneki! And tell Touka I said bye!" you say as you left Anteiku, waving goodbye. 

The cold air greets you once again as you begin your walk home, all the worry and sadness you held within you when you came in had disappeared. You pulled your warm coat closer to your body, feeling a bit uneasy as you turned a corner into an empty street, wanting to get home before the sun had set completely.

You quicken your pace, the uneasy feeling growing even more. Finally, your home is within in sight, making the uneasy feeling fade away a little. Maybe something bad won't happen tonight. You think to yourself as you approached the apartment. Suddenly a damp cloth goes over your mouth as another hand holds you in place.

"Mmph!!" You struggle to say through the covered hand that was over you mouth, trying your best to get free. 

"Kaneki will now be mine... No one will have him!" The attacker says, hints of obsession and maybe even madness in his voice. The corner of your vision start to fade, your continual struggling slowing down as you started to pass out. No!! Must... Get... Free... You thought desperately, giving one last kick before darkness completely consumed you, your body going limp in the man's arms. He smiled widely as his plan was slowly coming into action.

"Soon, Kaneki. You'll be visiting soon..." He said as he disappeared into the shadow of the setting sun, the purple hair and widened black and red eyes the last thing to fade into the cool shadows of the evening.


	10. bookstore trip

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Weeeeeell. Timeskips.. Woo. I, um, Enjoy? Sorry for the lack of updates! Binge-watched Mirrai Nekki/ Future Diary yesterday and didn't have the feeling of fulfillness.

"Kaneki." You say, waving your hand in front of his face. He didn't seem to notice, continuing reading his book on this sunny afternoon. "Oi, Kaneki!" You say again, snapping your fingers in front of his face.

"Hm?" He says, looking up, "Oh hi, (First Name). Didn't see you there." He then averts his eyes back to the book, continuing reading. You huff in annoyance, sitting next to him on the park bench. I wish he could forget about that... You think to yourself, looking over at Kaneki. Sure, he was mad at himself for getting you kidnapped, but it wasn't his fault! You just weren't careful enough that night.

(HA. NO FLASHBACK FOR U. Gomen.)

Waiting impatiently for Kaneki to get out of his 'phrase', you looked around the park, admiring the red and yellow leaves that still clung onto the almost barren trees. Suddenly you smiled, and liking the idea that popped into you mind, you stood up and grabbed Kaneki's hand, pulling him away from the bench and down the pathway.

"(First Name)? Whe-where are we going?" He asks, surprised at your sudden actions. 

"You'll see." You say, smiling back at him. He blushes a little, nodding his head and continued being dragged away by you. You lead him out of the park and through the busy streets of Tokyo, determination and excitement in your eyes as you thought about the surprise. Finally, after walking for about thirty minutes, you had arrived at the place, smiling brightly. "Here we are!" You say, gesturing to the window.

"Um, why did you bring us to a bookstore?" He asks, puzzled. You mentally facepalm, letting go of his hand.

"Well, a book store is where you can buy books, right?" You ask. He nods, but still has a confused look on his face. "Well, I thought that we could buy some books together..." You say, blushing a little. His eyes light up, taking your hand this time and leading you inside. Since this was one of the more larger bookstores in the area, there was shelves of books everywhere, as if this was a library.

He led you to a shelf, both of you splitting up to search for books. Your eyes traced across the many titles, pulling out the occasional interesting-looking one and inspecting the cover and summary. You wandered from shelf to shelf until you spotted a very peculiar one. Sen Takatsuki? Isn't that Kaneki's favorite author?... You thought to yourself, pulling it out. You walked back over to Kaneki, poking him in the shoulder. 

He looks over to you, stopping his search of interesting books. "Hey Kaneki, is this by your favorite author?" You ask, showing him the book. His eyes light up again, saying that it was indeed her. "I'll buy it then! It must be good if you like it." You say, smiling at him. He blushes a little, looking away. You return to searching the shelves, looking for more books by Sen Takasuki. 

After finding a couple interesting books you walk to the counter, carrying a small stack of books. "That'll be $48.52, ma'm." The cashier said, placing the books in a plastic bag. You fished out your wallet, digging around. I only have thirty dollars... You think to yourself, not expecting it to cost this much for only four books. 

"Here you go sir." A familiar voice says behind you, handing a fifty-dollar bill to the cashier. You turn around, finding a Kaneki with a deep look of concentration on his red face. You tried to protest, only to have no words come out.

"Y-you didn't have to, Kaneki..." You say quietly, finally being able to speak again as you walked with Kaneki. You feel your cheeks heat up a little, lowering your head to cover your face.

"Nah, it's okay. I wouldn't have bought anything, anyway." He replies, trying to keep his cool as he kept glancing at you with a light blush to his cheeks. You didn't notice it, of course. 

"Say, Kaneki, Do you mind if I go to my place to drop off these books? I don't want to carry them around all day." You ask, looking up at him. His little blush deepens, stuttering a 'yes'. You both weave your way through Tokyo until you finally arrive at your house. Grabbing the plastic bag with your left hand, you look through your little purse for your keys. Kaneki seemed awestruck at your home when he entered. 

It was only a first-story house, but it seemed really spacious and tidy compared to his apartment, which was littered with books everywhere. "Make yourself at home, I'll drop these off in my room real quickly." You say, taking off your shoes and rushing to your room, closing the door with a soft click. 

~Kaneki's pov~ (*Smiles mischievously* hehe.)

I decided to explore a little, a sudden thought that never occurred to me before popping into my mind. I'v never known about her life before I met her. She never talked about her family or any other friends... I think to myself, curious about her family. It's might've been rude to snoop about her house, but curiosity got the better of me. I walked towards a wooden shelf, inspecting the little pictures on it. 

One had a young (First name) on what I presumed to be her father, laughing while her mother smiled lovingly at the two. The second had an older (First Name), girl who looked slightly younger and similar to her, and a boy around her age, (First Name) wrapping her arms around both friends. The third had (First name) next to the same girl as before, but the boy was nowhere to be seen. They were smiling cheekily at the camera, their arms around each other's necks. 

The third one intrigued me, as I never heard her talk about the girl who looked like they were best friends. Walking to the door she disappeared behind, I opened it, the second picture in my hand. "Hey, do you know who this is?" I ask, looking through. She turned around and my eyes widening at the sight of her, a deep blush forming on my cheeks. Her cheeks quickly turned red, her mouth about to say something probably very loud when I slammed the door shut.

She was... My mind couldn't comprehend it. I shook my head, patiently waiting on the couch till she was ready. A deep red blush was still on my cheeks when she came out, her face rather red from embarrassment. "(F-first Name), I apolo-"

"Forget about it. Never happened, okay?" She said rather harshly, though I did shut up and didn't finish my thought. "Anyway, what did you ask me about before you came in?" She said, sitting down next to me. I took out the picture, giving it to her.

"Who are the other people in the photo, if you don't mind me asking. You all seemed really close." Her eyes widened at this, a distraught look appearing on her face. "I, uh, Nevermind! You don't have to tell me." I said, trying to console her as she seemed to start to cry. 

"No, no, it's okay. I've never told anyone since no one asked." She said, wiping her eyes and looking at me. She took a deep breath before telling me the story. "The girl is Kiyomi, my younger sister. We were the best of friends, along with Kuzue, the boy." She said, pointing to them. (DEAL WITH IT. I like the name Kiyomi and Kuzue. U don't like? Then leave or deal with it.)

"We were the best of friends until Kuzue had to leave to go to America, where his parents had to move to after his father lost his job and luckily found one in America. We were all sad, but vowed that we would see each other sometime in the future. That was five years ago. Kiyomi died in a car accident two years later, talking with me about maybe visiting America to see him after during the summer. I wished she payed attention to the road rather than talking to me." She said bittersweetly. 

"Oh... I'm sorry for your loss." Was all I could say. She looked up at me, the bittersweet expression gone and now replaced with a smile. 

"Never Mind about my life; Hide asked me if we wanted to visit some new restaurant being opened by some of his relatives tonight." She said, as if the previous moment had never happened.

I instantly got fidgety at the thought of eating human food. "I, um, my condition..." I said quietly before she face palmed herself. 

"I forgot! Um, but could you please go? Hide seemed really excited to show you the place. Can you handle just a little food?" She asks, a pleading look in her eyes. My thoughts wandered back to what the Manager told me about eating human food. 

I can handle it... Right? I thought to myself as I answered her. "Sure, I guess I can handle a little," I said, smiling weakly at her. She bounced up and down on the couch, falling onto me in a hug.

"Yay! Hide hasn't seen you in a while so he'll be so happy when you show up!" She says, excitement in her tone.

I hope I can handle it...

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Did you like the little 'date'? I hope you did since I've never went on one myself, being single and what-not. *sighs* Why must practically every person I like gotta be fictional and always older than me... Hope you like the OCs. They may come up later.
> 
> Anyway, will Kaneki handle some food and protect his secret from Hide? Or will it all spill out?


	11. a test

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Don't you hate it when you read some fanfics that are like your own? And then you feel like yours isn't good enough. Cause that's how I feel. *sighs* wish I would stop that. Anyway, who doesn't think that this is adorable?? Didn't draw it, but still. Enjoy the chapter.

"Kaneki. Stop panicking. You'll be fine." You say, trying to console him. He was sweating profusely as you approached the place, having second thoughts on why he should've came. 

Hide saw us as we turned a corner, waving 'hi' as he ran up to Kaneki and hugged him tightly. "Kaneki and (First Name)! I haven't seen you in a while!" He said as he let go, a big grin on his face. "Weird on how some of my folks opened a restaurant, eh?" Hide said he opened the door, gesturing us to come inside.

The whole area had a homey feeling to it, with it's warm colors and tile floors. Oddly we were the only ones in here, but you dismissed it, thinking that this was just a little preview and it wasn't open yet. He led the both of you to a table, Kaneki pulled out your chair as you sat down. "So how do you like it? Pretty cool or what?" Hide said, sounding a bit proud.

"I like it, I guess. Seems pretty cool." You reply, Kaneki nodding his head to agree with you. Hide smiled at this, making you happy that all was going well so far.

"I'll be back; I need to get something." Hide said, pushing out his chair and leaving the two of us alone for a little bit. 

"How are you feeling?" You ask, turning to Kaneki. He stopped sweating, now enjoying the visit. 

"Not as nervous as before." He says, his face relaxing a bit.

"That's good. Told you this wasn't gonna be bad like you thought it was!" You say, smiling at him whilst you lightly punched him in the shoulder. 

"Back!" Hide announced, carrying a tray of what looked like food. "Figured that both probably didn't eat dinner yet, so I got you two some!" He says, placing the tray down and sliding back into his seat. Kaneki started to panic, staring at the food with an uneasy look in his eyes. You reached for his arm and squeezed his hand, attempting to console him. He blushes a little, the surprise covering up the uneasiness for now.

"You don't need to repay me or anything. It's on the house, like they say." Hide says, grabbing a plate full of steaming food. Picking up his fork, Hide began eating the food. You grabbed a plate too, nudging Kaneki a bit to grab one also. He tried his best to not show his discomfort when he picked up the plate, placing it down carefully. He stared at it, as if eyeing the food. 

"Yo Kaneki, you gonna eat that?" Hide asks, a piece of meat on his raised fork as he looks over at him. He stutters a yes, warily picking up his fork and poking a piece of chicken, quickly stuffing it in his mouth. His face holds an quick expression of disgust before changing one to favor. 

"Ish good." He says, though he looked like he was sick. 

"Maybe you should use the restroom... You don't seem well." You say worriedly. He nods his head, quickly thanking Hide as he pointed to where the restroom was and rushing over there in that direction.

"Is the food bad? Sorry..." Hide apologizes, looking down.

"N-no! It's not that, it's just that he had a bad snack before we got here and it gave him some stomach problems," you lie, hoping that he would buy it. Hide seemed to furrow his brows before smiling in understanding. 

"Ah, ok." He says, making you sigh silently in relief. Kaneki comes back at that exact moment, looking much better than before. He sits down in his chair, the room now filled with awkward silence.

"Sorry for disliking the food, Hide. It seems that it didn't sit well with my stomach." Kaneki says, laughing a little as he tried to lighten the food. Hide watched Kaneki closely before looking away and eating his food again. A few minutes passed before Kaneki looked at his wrist, his eyes widening. 

"It's already eight-thirty? I have to go, Hide, (First Name). Thank you for the meal!" He says, quickly getting out of his chair and bowing. He grabbed his jacket and ran out the door, leaving behind two dumbstruck people.

"Did he just-" you say, Hide nodding his head to complete your thought. Sighing, you both continued to finish your food in the quietness of the room, only the clanking sound of metal against the plates could be heard.

"Thanks for the food and inviting us over!" You thank Hide, waving goodbye as you left the restaurant. He also waved goodbye, going inside after you crossed the street. You head home, walking to the bus stop and riding the bus from there.

Fortunately you got home safely, unlike that other time. You shuddered at the memory, digging around your purse to find your keys. Finding your keys you opened the door, darkness welcoming you as you stepped inside. Flicking the light switch you closed the door behind you, not forgetting to lock it.

Sighing deeply, you took off your shoes and coat, putting them away as a cold sensation touched your feet. Walking over to another room you flopped onto your bed, relishing in the beautiful feeling of the soft blankets. Lying on the bed you pulled out your phone, staring at the bright screen as you scrolled through some random pictures.

After taking a bath and changing into your sleepwear, you collapsed on the bed for a second time, now feeling refreshed. Rolling your head lazily to the other side, you looked at the clock, snuggling deep into the sheets. It was only nine o'clock, but it felt like it was too early to sleep.

You scrolled through Pinterest, looking at the ideas that people had come up with. Deciding that when the screen alerted you that twenty percent was left, you put it away and turned off the nightstand. Rolling over to the other side, you slowly went to sleep.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Okay, serious note. I feel like there's not enough fluff. Also, sorry for filler chapter... Author has no idea what to write anymore... THERE MUST BE MORE FLUFF!! Or not. Tell me in the comments!


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